Executive Board
Catie Comer
President: Catie Comer
Catie was most recently Vice President of Development for The Arc Central Chesapeake Region. She brings more than ten years of fundraising and communications experience to the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council. She is passionate about nonprofits and supporting the community. Catie also volunteers with the Sister States Leningrad Oblast Committee and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Emerging Leaders Taskforce.
Catie is an Annapolis native and a graduate of the University of Maryland with degrees in Journalism and the Russian Language. She formerly taught English as a Second Language in Russia and volunteered as an AACLC ESL tutor. Catie is a 2022 graduate of Leadership Anne Arundel’s Flagship program.
Dr. Michael Keller
Vice President: Dr. Michael Keller
Dr. Keller is a leader for both local and national organizations and has resided in Annapolis for more than 30 years. He is chair of the Annapolis Human Relations Commission, the national Board President of the Peace Action Education Fund, and co-coordinator of the Homework and Reading program at his church. He retired as Director of Policy Analysis and Research for the Maryland Higher Education Commission in 2008. Trained in journalism, Mike served as a war correspondent for the Vietnam bureau of Pacific Stars & Stripes. Mike brings a wealth of leadership and fundraising experience to the AACLC.
Megan Jackson
Treasurer and Finance Committee Chairwoman: Megan Jackson
Megan Jackson has been a resident of Anne Arundel County for over thirty years and has twenty-plus years of experience providing financial management and professional accounting support to a national nonprofit organization in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Megan has been with our Literacy Council since 2010 as Treasurer.
Deborah Bennett
Recording Secretary: Deborah Bennett
Deborah recently retired as a Risk Manager for Live! Casino & Hotel in Anne Arundel County after working there for ten years. She started as a Human Resource Business Partner, a position she held for four years. From 1993 to 2012, Deborah worked for The Baltimore Sun Media Group in advertising sales management. From 2004 to 2012, she was the Director of Sales Development and Training. Deborah was responsible for training programs, developing new revenue initiatives, and supporting sales staff development. Prior to moving to Maryland in 1992, she was General Manager and Media Director for L.F. O’Connell Associates, an advertising agency in New York.
Deborah has served on marketing committees and boards for the Columbia Foundation, Columbia Festival of the Arts, the MDDC Press Association, the American Heart Association, United Way, and the Willowood Homeowners Association. She was a volunteer for the Baltimore Sun’s Reading By 9 Program. Deborah has tutored with the Literacy Council since the spring of 2023.
Corresponding Secretary & Program Chair: Michael Green
Michael Green
Michael and his wife retired to her native Maryland in 2014 after ending his long career as a restaurant manager in Los Angeles. Retirement was a new adventure; he was looking to make a contribution and responded to a notice for tutor training with AACLC. Michael found a group of caring and supportive people who welcomed new members and wanted to make a difference. Most of Michael’s tutoring has been done at the Jennifer Road Detention Center, although he has students elsewhere and is happy to help anyone willing to put themself out there and ask.
John Wetzel
Tutor Representative: John Wetzel
John Wetzel holds an undergraduate degree from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from the American University in Washington. He retired in 2017 as vice president of Congressional Affairs for a national, nonprofit trade association. He has lived in Anne Arundel County for more than forty years and has served as a tutor with the Literacy Council since his retirement. In addition, he volunteers at a local food pantry. His wife, Angela, also tutors for the Literacy Council. They have three grown children and are the proud grandparents of two little girls.
Dr. Michael Keller
Development Committee Chair: Dr. Michael Keller
Dr. Keller is a leader for both local and national organizations and has resided in Annapolis for more than 30 years. He is chair of the Annapolis Human Relations Commission, the national Board President of the Peace Action Education Fund, and co-coordinator of the Homework and Reading program at his church. He retired as Director of Policy Analysis and Research for the Maryland Higher Education Commission in 2008. Trained in journalism, Mike served as a war correspondent for the Vietnam bureau of Pacific Stars & Stripes. Mike brings a wealth of leadership and fundraising experience to the AACLC.
Caroline Cañas, Board Member
Caroline Cañas
With a background of diverse administrative experience, Caroline has developed strong skills in project coordination, task management, and fostering meaningful connections. In her most recent role as an Executive Assistant at The Arc of the Central Chesapeake Region, she became a resource for Spanish-speaking families and has supported her team through project coordination and execution while also supporting day-to-day administrative tasks. In her previous roles in the Fair Practices Department at the Administrative Office of the Courts and as a bilingual paralegal at Jezic & Moyse, LLC she first gained insight into ways she could help the challenges faced by minority communities. As someone who had benefited from ESL programs in her youth, it ignited her interest in providing resources and support to underserved populations.
Fluent in Spanish and motivated by opportunities to create positive change (particularly for those confronting language barriers), Caroline is excited to contribute to the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council with a proactive approach to problem-solving and a dedication to inclusivity. She would like to leverage her skills to promote equitable access to education and hopes to find resources to advance the impact of the ESL program.
Mary Austin, Board Member
Mary is a long-time tutor with the Literacy Council. She has worked with students in literacy, math, and English language learning. Currently, Mary dedicates much of her volunteer time to work at the Ordnance Road Correctional Center. She is also an enthusiastic supporter of our annual book fair.
